Customer Reviews

Into the Heart of the Mafia

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Well written. The best book I own. The unusual style of writing about personal experiences rather than a retread of already known facts lets the follower of this subject learn more. This is the first book I own that doesn't just force feed me what I already know. Especially helpful are the details of why the South of Italy is so impoverished. Other books only tell me that they are impoverished.

This is an excellent account of the interplay of powerful forces of corruption in southern Italy, via organised crime and corrupt politicians and government officials.The Mafia thrives on corruption, weakness and the love of money, and this book succeeds brilliantly at exposing this activity at national and provincial levels of life in Italy. Make no mistake Organised Crime has Italy by the balls with its power, money and criminal networks inspired by fear, greed, intimidation and brute force. This no account of who whacked who in the Mafia but a solid, detailed well written account of organised crime and how it infiltrates into high areas of government and policy.

We travel around Southern Italy as the author writes of his experiences and meetings with prosecutors, police, business, local mayors and government official and their accounts of fighting the grip of Organised Crime in their cities, towns or regions. They sum addition of their efforts is to sometimes wound or obstruct the mafia or put some away in jail. These brave, remarkable people are standing up for what they believe is a better and just way of life and they do it publicly and thereby put their own life at risk. These honest officials labour under the odds to enforce the law, but there are powerful interests and people at the highest levels of political power who just wish they would go away.

Well written Mr Lane!

I was excited to read this book, knowing very little about the subject. The book, however, has absolutely no plot nor a thesis beyond "the mafia is everywhere in Southern Italy". Far too much time is spent describing inane and irrelevant details and far too little in connecting the dots between the vignettes of one town to another. I haven't read any of David Lane's other books, but based on my read of this one, Mr. Lane should stick to short prose.

Poorly written, no sense of order. Is more of a cookie cutter collection of post it notes combined with trivial pursuit thrown in a blender then spit out on an automatic printing press.
And it is boring as an ego can be to someone not interested in a complete and utter useless stranger posing as an author.

I have read several books about the mafia, and this one is by far the most uninteresting that I have ever read. Lane manages to turn a fascinating subject into a very dull, albeit factual account of his travels through Italy seeking out information about Cosa Nostra. I do not recommend this one.